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Two bills to reform filibusters moving through Senate committee

A pair of proposals to
expedite the Senate’s voting procedures and eliminate filibusters landed before
the chamber’s Rules Committee on Wednesday as part of an ongoing strategy by
Democrats to keep pressure on Republicans.

One of the Senate’s newest
members, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), introduced an idea to reduce a
mandatory period of debate, eliminate filibusters on procedural motions, end
secret holds and require Senators to speak in person on the chamber floor if
they launch a filibuster.

One of the Senate’s
longest-serving members, Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), meanwhile, has
submitted a parallel bill that would expedite procedural motions, allow
immediate votes on cloture petitions under some circumstances and allow for
quicker votes once cloture has been invoked.

Democrats have been
repeatedly frustrated by the GOP on a number of procedural motions during the current
Congress, such as a procedural motion on a campaign-finance reform bill that
was blocked on Tuesday. Current rules require 60 votes for successful
procedural motions; the Disclose Act on Tuesday only received 57.

Republicans are opposing
efforts at filibuster reform in order to preserve their power as the Senate’s
minority party and have argued that Democratic leaders won’t work with them on
legislation.

Committee Chairman Charles
Schumer (D-N.Y.), an author of the Disclose Act, said at Wednesday’s hearing
that he understands the reticence by the GOP. Yet he insisted reform is needed.

“Each side has legitimate
points,” Schumer said. “Democrats say it’s ‘delay, delay, delay’ on trivial
things, and Republicans say, ‘We have no choice but to delay because we’re not
being given an opportunity to offer amendments because in general the majority
party controls the agenda.’ We’re trying to be fair and down-the-middle on
this.”

The committee has held three hearings so far on the need for
filibuster reform, with Schumer arguing that the legislative tactic has
exploded in recent years. From 1951 to 1960, there was an average of one
filibuster and only four cloture votes during each two-year Congress. In 2009
alone, there were 25 filibusters and 39 cloture votes.